Profiles in Government: EDD Moving Apace With EDDNext Modernization

The Employment Development Department (EDD) is one of the largest entities in California state government, with almost 10,000 employees and more than 225 offices statewide.

The department found itself in hackers’ and scammers’ crosshairs when the COVID-19 pandemic bloomed in 2020, which exponentially increased the average number of weekly unemployment benefit claims from 56,000 to more than 1 million. That surge in demand was exacerbated by fraud; according to EDD, the department’s fraud prevention efforts have saved the state more than $125 billion, and EDD has been working since then to quantify its metrics, boost its cybersecurity and improve the customer experience.

As part of that overall effort, the department initiated EDDNext, a sweeping modernization project intended to smooth the process for those seeking benefits for unemployment, disability and paid family leave. On its website, EDD cites its mission as helping Californians find “time to bond with your newborn, support to find a job, resources to focus on your recovery after an illness or injury, or the guidance and support to manage a successful business in California.”

EDDNext includes changes related to technology as well as other areas, i.e., redesigning forms to use plain language and make them more relevant; using tools to detect and mitigate cyber attacks; and improving call centers to shorten wait times, streamline business processes and improve interactions with the public.

FAST FACTS

Leadership: Ajit Girn was named the chief information officer for EDD in February 2024, succeeding former CIO Rita Gass. Girn is a veteran of the public and private sectors, having joined EDD in 2010 after having held tech management positions with Infosys Technologies and ACT. Since joining EDD as a senior information systems analyst, Girn advanced to software test manager, technical project manager and chief of the Product Development and Application Services divisions before his elevation to CIO.

EDD comes under the aegis of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA), which is led by Secretary Stewart Knox. Brian Wong is LWDA’s deputy secretary for innovation and technology.

What's New

The Legislative Analyst’s Office issued a report Tuesday that examines EDD’s spend and its plans, funding and oversight and making recommendations. That report can be found here.

Budget

The overall amount Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed for EDD in his January budget for Fiscal Year 2025-26 is $26.2 billion. That’s a slight increase from the $25.3 billion in the previous year’s budget. That proposed budget includes $124 million for the coming year of EDDNext IT projects, non-IT projects and supporting functions:

• $267 million is proposed for EDDNext’s current IT projects, including the Integrated Case Management System/Integrated Data Management (ICMS/IDM) IT project ($193 million), the Shared Customer Portal ($54 million), and the document management system ($19 million).
• $60 million is proposed for non-IT projects including fraud and data analytics ($31 million), integrated contact center ($24 million) and research and redesign of forms ($4 million).
• $88 million is proposed for support functions including the Transformation Office ($58 million), personal services ($23 million), oversight and services by the California Department of Technology ($4 million), and other operations and expenses ($3 million).

Staff

Newsom’s proposed EDD budget calls for 9,589 positions.

Learn More

Details about EDD are available in the open data portal featuring metrics on California industries, occupations, employment projections, wages and labor force.

Girn, the department’s CIO, will be joined by Loree Levy, EDD’s deputy director of public affairs, and Adam Brunner, EDD’s division chief for Application Services, for an Industry Insider — California Member Briefing on March 11 in Sacramento. Details and registration for this event, which is open only to members of Industry Insider — California, can be found online.